Queanbeyan, New South Wales
Encyclopedia : Q : QU : QUE : Queanbeyan, New South Wales
Queanbeyan is a city and local government area in south eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is a city overshadowed somewhat by its proximity to the Australian federal capital city of Canberra: it has effectively become a de facto district of the nearby capital city as it lies on the Australian Capital Territory border and is approximately 10km from Canberra's CBD, Civic. The border itself is defined by a railway line. The Queanbeyan River runs through Queanbeyan, near the centre of the city.
Queanbeyan has a population of 36,331 and has been said to be the "fastest growing city in southern NSW".
History
The town grew from a squattage held by ex-convict inn keeper, Timothy Beard, on the banks of the Molonglo River. The original name was Quinbean which means "clear waters".
Queanbeyan was officially proclaimed a township in 1838 with a population at that time of about 50. Some of the significant historic buildings still standing date from those early days. Traces of gold were discovered in 1851 and lead and silver mines also flourished briefly. Settlers were harassed by bushrangers, of which John Tennant, Jacky Jacky, Frank Gardiner and Ben Hall were some of the more notorious.
The Commercial Banking company of Sydney limited (CBC now part of the National Australia Bank) opened in Queanbeyan on the 19th of September, 1859. The Bank of New South Wales began service in Queanbeyan in 1878.
The Golden Age (now The Queanbeyan Age) was Queanbeyan's first newspaper and was founded in 1860 by John Gale.
In 1880 the residence of John James Wright, the first mayor of Queanbeyan, was constructed along the edge of the Queanbeyan River. In 1982 that building became the Queanbeyan Art Centre.
Queanbeyan, an increasingly successful primary producing district, was proclaimed a Municipality in February 1885 incorporating an area of 5,700 acres (23 km²).
The railway reached Queanbeyan in 1887 and it became the junction for the lines going to Canberra and Bombala. The town is served by the twice-daily Countrylink Xplorer service between Canberra and Sydney.
William James Farrer, the wheat experimentalist, established Queanbeyan's reputation as an agricultural district with his famous "Federation" rust-free strain, developed on his property "Lambrigg" at Tharwa. Farrer's work was only slowly recognised elsewhere in Australia, but local farmers supported him, particularly in his development of "Blount's Lambrigg", another strain which in 1889 gave hope to farmers after the disastrous season of 1887 when crops had failed after heavy Christmas rains.
At the height of its rural prosperity Queanbeyan boasted 16 public houses and six flourmills powered by wind, water, horse and steam.
The Royal Hotel on Monaro street opened in 1926. Canberra was "dry" from 1910 at the time of the territory's foundation until 1928 when Federal Parliament had relocated from Melbourne. In that period many of the capital's residents crossed the border to drink at hotels in Queanbeyan.
By 1972 Queanbeyan had little difficulty in meeting the first basic requirement of city status; the population had risen to more than 15,000 and a future population of at least that number was assured. City status was accordingly granted on 7 July 1972. On the 21st of July 1975 the Queen's Bridge was opened. This bridge took pressure off the existing bridge in linking Monaro Street directly to the east. From 1982 to 1989, the Canberra Raiders rugby league team played their home games in Queanbeyan, at Seiffert Oval.
Sport and Culture
Queanbeyan has a strong sporting culture. One of the major sports in Queanbeyan is Rugby League in which the town has two teams- The Queanbeyan Blues and the Queanbeyan Kangaroos of which the Blues is, as of 2006, the more powerful team. In addition Queanbeyan has a successful AFL team, the Queanbeyan Tigers- and a somewhat less successful Rugby Union team, the Queanbeyan Whites. Queanbeyan has fostered many rugby superstars including Ricky Stuart, David Campese and Matt Giteau. Other sporting icons include Mark Webber, a Formula One driver.
Queanbeyan includes a diverse range of cultures, many residents having Italian or Mediterranean origins.
Politics
Politically speaking Queanbeyan leans towards the Australian Labor Party except for Jerrabomberra which is a Liberal stronghold.
Today
Notable residents - past and present
- George Lazenby - Movie star, most noted for being the 2nd official James Bond 007, following Sean Connery.
- Mark Webber - Formula 1 driver for Williams F1
- David Campese - Wallaby winger, arguably the greatest winger of all time.
- Matt Giteau - Present day Wallaby player, Australias highest ever paid rugby player.
- Matt Henjak - Present day Wallaby player, understudy of George Gregan, plays for Western Force.
- Gary Nairn - Eden-Monaro MP and Special Minister for State.
- Tommy Murphy - Award-winning playwright.
Suburbs of Queanbeyan
- Carwoola
- Crestwood
- Environa
- Googong
- Greenleigh
- Jerrabomberra
- Karabar
- Queanbeyan East
- Queanbeyan West
- Queanbeyan
- The Ridgeway
- Royalla
- Tralee
- (Oaks Estate is sometimes mistakenly assumed to be part of Queanbeyan but is in fact located in the Australian Capital Territory.)
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Cities of New South Wales
| Capital: |
Sydney
| Cities: |
Albury |
Armidale |
Bathurst |
Blue Mountains |
Broken Hill |
Cessnock |
Coffs Harbour |
Dubbo |
Gosford |
Goulburn |
Grafton |
Griffith |
Greater Taree |
Hawkesbury |
Lake Macquarie |
Lismore |
Lithgow |
Maitland |
Newcastle |
Orange |
Queanbeyan |
Shellharbour |
Shoalhaven |
Tamworth |
Wagga Wagga |
Wollongong
| |
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